News, reviews, information and apps for Windows Phone.

Camera head to head: the Lumia 930 vs the Galaxy Note 4 (part 2)

Following on from yesterday's (apparently controversial!) feature looking at seven test scenes in the unprocessed 16MP output from the Lumia 930 and the native 16MP (processed) output from the Galaxy Note 4, I present part 2 of the feature, moving away from 1:1 crops at sensor level and looking at 5MP versions of the same test scenes. Oversampled in the 930's case, downsampled (by me) in the Note 4's case. And, while I realise that this may do the latter a slight disservice, as it turns out, the Note 4's images are improved too - so it's a win-win. Literally!

In support of this approach, of course, is the fact that no one, repeat no one in the real world can really view or make use of 16MP photos. Think about the resolution of the laptop or desktop screen you're sitting in front of. Chances are that it's 1080p or perhaps a little above. So effectively 2MP, maybe even 8MP in the case of very high resolution screens. But far, far more likely to be closer to 5MP than 16MP, so the former resolution is what most people will be trying to view natively anyway.

So, using the oversampled, default 5MP 'PureView' output from the Lumia 930, let's try the test scenes and comparators one more time....

Note that the interactive comparator below uses javascript and does need to load each pair of images. Please be patient while this page loads, if you see a pair of images above each other than you've either not waited long enough or your browser isn't capable enough!

Test 1: Sunny landscape

Plenty of detail here in this rooftop shot. Here’s the full scene, as shot by the Lumia 930:

And here's 1:1 detail from near the centre of the frame, using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the image fragments:

At this resolution, and under these conditions, unsurprisingly, the images are almost identical - both are brilliant. Time to ramp up the degree of difficulty.

Test 2: Sunny landscape, very bright detail

A park scene, with a specific point of interest, the sign in the pond, a very bright set of points of reflected light, this will challenge both phone cameras.... Here’s the full scene, as shot by the Lumia 930:

And here's 1:1 detail from near the centre of the frame, using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the image fragments:

The image crops are again close, but the effect of the extra sharpening and processing in the Note 4's image is apparent - I much prefer the 930's more natural feel. I should remind everyone again, by the way, that in using manually downsampled versions of the Note 4's photos, I'm not letting the latter achieve what its fans proclaim it can do. See the original article for 1:1 crops from its full 16MP images.

A firm win for the 930 over the Note 4 for this scene. In my subjective opinion, of course!

Test 3: Sunny macro

Both phone cameras are great at macros, this is a leaf in the sun at around 8cm. Here’s the full scene, as shot by the Lumia 930:

And here's 1:1 detail from near the centre of the frame, using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the image fragments:

Yet again, the Nokia's basic image processing algorithms come across as producing a more natural photo, the Note 4's image still looks a bit 'computer-enhanced', a bit 'alien', even - interesting, but certainly not as natural - the leaf really wasn't THAT green, especially not in the weak UK winter sun!

A firm win for the 930 over the Note 4 for this scene.

Test 4: Light contrast, detail

Another challenging shot to get right, with reflected light from the mass of detail on the church clock. Here’s the full scene, as shot by the Lumia 930:

And here's 1:1 detail from near the centre of the frame, using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the image fragments:

The PureView version of this image is better, naturally, than the raw 16MP underlying image, but the effect of limited dynamic range still spoil the shot slightly. Reflections from the clock hands and other bright spots are definitely an issue, especially given that the Note 4's photo had only minimal blow-out from the same reflections. (I've noticed the same dynamic range issues with the PureView sensors before - and have routinely chosen to knowck down exposure manually in bright situations where I think blow out will be an issue.)

A win for the Note 4 over the Lumia 930, i think.

Test 5: Low light

Dim artificial lighting and a real test for the sensors, optics and algorithms. Here’s the full scene, as shot by the Lumia 930, I was focussing on the tops of the pots, specifically:

And here's 1:1 detail from the focussed detail, using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the image fragments:

Pros and cons here for both shots - the 930's is closer to real life colours, while the Note 4's photo is more heavily saturated and tries to add more atmosphere from the incandescent light source. The PureView version of the 930's image here shows slightly more detail, perhaps reflecting the superiority of the PureView algorithms from the sensor output compared to retrospective downsampling of the Note 4's JPG. So take this with a pinch of salt!

Too close to call and a score draw, I think, overall.

Test 6: Flash photo, indoor dim ambient light

The archetypal party scene, though I didn't exagerate movements or use a moving beer bottle this time, since the LED flash in each phone wouldn't have coped... Here’s the full scene, as shot by the Lumia 930:

And here's 1:1 detail from near the centre of the frame, using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the image fragments:

Yet again pros and cons either way - the 930 errs on the side of a longer shutter time (1/12s), perhaps because of confidence in its OIS and wanting to give proper lighting and ambience, while the Note 4 errs on the side of a faster shutter time (1/30s), producing a crisper image (no blurring on the moving main subject) but at the expense of appearing too dark. Certainly, seen as-is, the 930's version seems superior in this 5MP PureView version - if this was at a party you'd be pretty happy with the result. In fairness, the crispness of the Note 4 version would lend itself to some Photoshop work later on, trying to brighten it up - if the subject was important enough to you!

I'm going to call this one for the 930 though, if only because the snap is instantly usable and shareable.

Test 7: Night time

Dead of night, effectively, just a few weedy LED street lights (newly installed in our road, I presume they save a lot of power). Here’s the full scene, as shot by the Lumia 930 (as usual, Lumias making the shot lighter than it appeared to the naked eye):

And here's 1:1 detail from near the centre of the frame, using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the image fragments:

Another tough call - with this completely handheld shot, the 930 manages to resolve a lot more objects in the darkness, thanks to a longer exposure, but the Notes 4's OIS seems to work even better than Nokia's. Look how crisp the detail is in the Note 4 image, despite being 'darker'.

A score draw. Pros and cons, etc.

Verdict

Having been somewhat pressured into this part 2, I'd be very interested to hear people's thoughts on whether the use of 5MP PureView/downsampled photos (rather than 16MP versions) has changed your views on either smartphone camera.

Personally, I think they're closer together than before - paradoxically. The 930's output is better, but then so is the Note 4's, since the worst excesses of its sharpening routines are tamed in the downsampling. The 930 scores with more natural colouration and arguably slightly less noise, while the Note 4 camera scores with better OIS and better dynamic range. The bottom line is that, viewed on any current monitor or display, photos from both devices will be excellent and only really differentiated by factors that are too small for everyone but photo geeks like me.

It's salutary to note (sic) how close the competition is getting to Nokia's (now Microsoft's) flagships in imaging though. The Note 4 camera software and hardware is much faster, of course, plus there's 4K (and beyond) video capture right now, while we're still waiting for Microsoft to get the new 4K-capable Lumia Camera 5 application out the door, for the likes of the 930. When it arrives, the playing field in terms of experience will be much closer.

So, in terms of a buying decision at the top end, users might like to strike camera quality from the list of things to check off - both will delight, I predict.